Gay party organizers publicize party using images inspired by Islamic State group' executions, garnering anger, criticism.

Michal Margalit|Published: 09.21.14 , 20:49

Drek – one of Tel Aviv's most popular gay party organizers – has inspired a massive wave of criticism and anger online after using imagery inspired by the Islamic State group's executions on a number of posters promoting the club's parties.

The Islamic State radical terror group currently ravaging Iraq and Syria has executed three Westerners and published their horrific beheadings in now infamous videos in which an all-black clad executioner hovers ominously above his kneeling victim, dressed in all orange jump suit.

Drek's ISIS inspired party poster (Photo from Facebook)

The posters invoke the visual language of the executions and of the Islamic State group in general in a bid promote a party dubbed 'Drekistan at the Haoman' which took place last Friday at Tel Aviv's Haoman 17 Club.

Drekistan in the Haoman (Photo from Facebook)

Though a number of people shrugged off the posters as poor taste, most were enraged: "Disgusting! Getting a laugh off of the murder of innocent victims," wrote one commentator; "very baaaaaaaaaaad," wrote another, while a third lamented it "poor satire".

Posting the images online to Drek's Facebook page, the organizers wrote "as the new Islamic State gains traction in the Middle East, we at Drek have decided to give in to Sharia law and cheer the stubborn Daesh," using the Arab acronym for the group, and invoking a veiled play on words – "stubborn" in Hebrew can be written as "hard necked", a reference to the group's infamous executions.

Amiri Kalman, one of the Drek's founders, said in response: "We are trying to react to current events. We have been doing it for a number of years. But we reject violence in any form and that includes the (execution) videos intended to scare the world.

"Therefore we also refuse to participate with this fear and refuse to become hysterical. This is satire, and our way of showing our contempt of them and their videos."

He further noted that the party itself did not include any Islamic State-inspired imagery or props.